Let the World Change You: A Commencement Address Do-Over

Way back in 2003, when people still left voicemails and Mark Zuckerberg’s “Facesmash” was just a mildly sexist college experiment, I was chosen by my classmates to deliver a commencement address at graduation ceremonies for our conservative Christian university. I took the honor seriously, prepping for weeks amidst all the final exams and senior parties, working through multiple drafts and soliciting feedback from my parents and professors. And I did okay, (though, to this day I still have nightmares about approaching that podium only to look down and realize I left my notes…or my pants… in my dorm room). I admonished my classmates the way any other 21-year-old evangelical would admonish her peers: I told them to go out and change the world. I told them that as Christians, fresh off four years of apologetics training, we were uniquely equipped to speak the truth in love— t...